Ranger Gear
Rangers have a large array of gear to assist them in their missions, usually carried by a second pack horse. Clothing The majority of Ranger clothing is brown or gray, minimizing how much they stand out in a natural environment. They are often described as looking similar to a yeoman or hunter without their cloaks. Additionally, apprentices are shown to be responsible for tailoring their own clothes, should they be ill fitting. The clothes themselves are typically made by a local tailor. * Boots: knee-high, lightweight, soft-soled, brown leather boots. Made to move silently, but also aid in riding. Rangers never polish their boots (nor their buckles), as the glint of reflected sun can give their position away. * Breeches: short trousers fastened just below the knee. * Double-scabbard: a unique, Ranger specific scabbard used to carry their saxe and throwing knives. * Leather cuff: worn on their non-dominant forearm to protect them from the strings of their own bows when firing. * Leather vest: a leather sleeveless, close-fitting waist-length garment worn over a shirt. * Oakleaf necklace: a metal oak leaf on a chain, bronze for apprentices, silver for fully-fledged Rangers, and gold for retired Rangers. * Ranger cloak: an essential part of the Ranger uniform. It is made of tightly woven wool and mottled green and grey with some brown. It also has a heavy, deep cowl. Should the need arise, versions made for different environments, such as snowy areas or even deserts, are provided by the Corps. * Shirts: a long sleeved, green shirt. Rangers carry spare shirts in their packs. Typically either woolen or linen. * Tunic: a loose garment, typically sleeveless and reaching to the wearer's knees. The standard Ranger tunic is made of brown leather often covers most of chest leaving green sleeves and collars. Weapons * Bow and arrows: The principal weapon of the Ranger Corps. To protect the bow from rain damage, they can be covered in waterproof leather cases. When not need, the bows can be carried unstrung. ** Longbow: The standard Ranger bow. They are usually roughly equal to the height of the user – allowing the archer a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw. The standard bow used by the Corps has a draw weight of eighty pounds, but Halt has been stated to use a ninety pound bow, suggesting it varies by user. ** Recurve bow: The typical bow used by Ranger Apprentices. Most of the bow follows one long curve, but each tip curves back in the opposite direction. The double curve gives extra speed and power with a lower draw weight. It is strongly implied that female rangers will not be able to use the standard longbow. * Quiver: able to hold up to twenty-four arrows. Typically worn on the back. * Saxe Knife: The longer of the two Ranger knives. It is kept in the double scabbard along with the throwing knife. It has a thick, heavy grip made of a series of leather discs set one above the other and a short, sturdy crosspiece. The blade is heavy and straight, sharp on one side and thick and heavy on the other. * Sling: a leather weapon used to throw ammunition, typically stones or lead balls. * Strikers: heavy weapons thrown to stun opponents. * Throwing knife: The shorter of the two Ranger knives. It is kept in the famous double scabbard along with the saxe knife. It has a thick, heavy grip made of a series of leather discs set one above the other. There is a brass crosspiece between the hilt and the blade with a matching brass pommel. It has an unusual shape: narrow at the hilt but tapering out sharply, becoming thicker and wider for three quarters of its length to form a broad blade with the weight and concentrated toward the tip, then a steep reverse taper creating a sharp point. Camping gear * Canteen: a small water bottle for carrying water. * Cots: for campers to sleep on, particularly in rainy weather. Consists of a rectangular frame, with a series of short cross pieces, and leafy boughs laid across it to form a rough mattress. They can be disassembled and then lashed together into a bundle. * Flint and steel: a piece of steel from which sparks are struck by the sharp edge of flint, chert, or similar rock. Used to start fires. * Kindling: small sticks or twigs used for starting a fire. Rangers normally travel with an emergency supply of both kindling and tinder. * Tablewares: ** Utensils: forks, knives, and spoons for eating meals. ** Plates ** Bowls ** Pots and Pans: for cooking meals. Made of cast-iron. * Tarpaulin: a rectangular oilskin sheet. Protects campers from the rain. To be suspended between four points, with one side angled down. * Tent: a small, one man tent. * Tinder: dry, flammable material, such as wood or paper, used for lighting a fire. Rangers normally travel with an emergency supply of both kindling and tinder. Provisions * Cooking kit: a kit filled with spices, herbs, and other ingredients to be used for cooking in the field. ** Coffee beans: a bean-like seed of the coffee shrub. To be roasted and ground into coffee, the Ranger Corps' signature drink. ** Flour: typically mixed with water and placed near a campfire to create a simple bread loaf. ** Oil and Vinegar: typically used for salad dressing. ** Wild honey: Some rangers, such as Halt, are known to carry wild honey in their kit. * Dried fruit: fruits that have been dried in the sun. * Hard bread: a tough, possibly dried bread. It may be a form of hardtack. * Jerky: cured meat that has been cut into long, thin strips and dried. It is often described to be tough and flinty. Typically made of beef. * Water: typically carried in a canteen. * Wine: some Rangers, such as Berrigan, and Leander, have been known to carry wine with them, drinking occasionally. Other Tools * Fishing rod: Although otherwise unheard of, Norris was shown to carry a fishing pole with him. * Fletching jig: a contraption used to attach the fletching to an arrow. Holds the arrow shaft and new flights in place until the glue dries. * Map: typically a map of Araluen, but maps of other countries, such as Picta or Gallica, are also provided by the Corps. * Medical Pack: carried by all rangers. ** Pain-killing salve: held in a small container. Numbs the area of application within a few minutes, but doesn’t last long. ** Warmweed cream: a pungent ointment that dulls pain and cleanses the wound. Derived from warmweed, and is highly effective. This may be the pain-killing salve, but the two are not confirmed to be the same. ** Bandages: Linen cloths for binding wounds. There are several types of bandages contained, such as pressure bandages and bandage pads. ** Herbs: though the specific herbs remain unnamed, they can be used to create an anti-infective preparation. ** Needle and silk thread: used to stitch wounds closed. * Northseeker: a compass. * Seal forgery kit: a kit for forging wax seals. Mostly consists of cylindrical lead plugs, about three centimeters in diameter. The forged seal was to be carved into the top of the plug, then used like a typical seal. Bodkins were included, to be used to carve the seal. It was commonly used by Halt, who had copies of King Duncan’s and King Henri’s seals, among others. * Stringer: used to help string a longbow. * Whetstones: stones used to sharpen the edges of steel tools through grinding and honing. References }} Category:Tools and Weapons